An Education
by Sir Estheim I
Summary: Hope goes to university and falls in love.
1. Introduction

**Authors Note: So I'm trying out a new idea this time it is still a FXIII fanfic but it takes some inspiration from the anime Amagami SS so if you've never heard of that you should check it out. If you like this idea and want me to continue writing please tell me in the reviews. Other than that please enjoy!**

* * *

Introduction

"Who'd have thought, my son would go to the same university as me." Bartholemew said happily. Hope shifted uncomfortably as he waited with his father for the train.

_'Why hasn't mom come back yet?'_ he thought casually. He often found it hard to talk to his father especially without his mom being there. _'She seems to have a relaxing effect on me but then I guess all moms are like that.'_ He continued.

"Hope." A familar voice called from behind him. He turned to face his mother and noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Mom wh-" He started.

"I'm so proud of you." She said happily and hugged the young man tightly.

"Thanks mom but it's only universi-"

She looked at him scoldingly now. "You may take it lightly but I still want you to do your best." She interupted.

"I will." Hope reassured her. _'Although I'm not sure how much of an impact I can make.'_

There was a gust of wind as the train sped into the station at Palumpolum. It came sooner than the Estheims had expected. Even Hope was not completely ready to leave yet.

"I suppose I should go now." He muttered his voice breaking with emotion.

"Not yet." Nora protested as she reached into her bag. She took a turquoise scarf out of her bag and handed it to Hope. "I wanted to give you something to remember us by."

Hope was close to tears now. "Now I won't be able to forget." He murmured sadly as he threw the scarf around his neck.

He then hugged both his parents goodbye and stepped onto the train. Next stop Bodhum...


	2. Chapter 1: Getting Settled In

Chapter 1: Getting Settled In

Week 1

_'The train journey seems a lot longer when I'm anxious.' _Hope thought as he walked to the university. You could tell it was a university by the mixture of old and new buildings that were all gathered together like a piece of modern art. The architecture certainly was impressive but nothing like Eden. Hope had only been once but he remembered the futuristic looking buildings well. The smell of the ocean air soon reached his nostrils accompanied by the usual sqwarks of seagulls, even though he was far from the beach.

Hope had now reached the main gate and it was great to see the flourishing comunity on the other side. As soon as he entered he was assaulted by new sounds and smells and even some colours that he had never seen before. _'Everything seems so vibrant.'_ He noticed. There were music students playing many different styles of music in ways Hope could never comprehend, Artists who could whip up an accurate sketch in seconds and loud but helpful guides who were trying to help the new students. Through this cacophony Hope was hardly able to pay attention to where he was going.

* * *

*thud*

"Hey watch the guitar, kid!" A girl with a strange accent shouted as Hope colided with her.

_'Who is she calling kid?!'_

He hadn't got a good look at first but when he did he could hardly believe his eyes. The young woman standing in front of him had some kind of natural allure to her not to mention being stunningly beautiful.

"S-Sorry." Hope stuttered, while trying not to stare.

"Hmm, You're new here aren't ya?" The dark haired girl questioned.

"Yeah I'm just trying to find my dorm." Hope answered nervously.

"Why do I always get stuck with the idiots." She commented.

"Hey!" Hope started. _'Is she trying to make me mad?'_ Then he looked up and saw the girl was smiling mischeviously. He bowed his head again in embarassment only to have the girl grab him by the hand and lead him out of the crowd. _'What? I'm so confused, does she like me or something?'_

"That's much better." She commented. "Now I've got some room to breathe. So kid, what's your name?"

Hope looked at her again albeit rather sheepishly. "Hope... Hope Estheim."

"Estheim?" She asked.

"Yes, why?" Hope replied, now confused by the urgency in the girls voice. _'Do I already have a reputation here?'_ he questioned.

The girl turned and shouted to someone in the distance. "Hey, Sazh, I found your missing student!"

Soon after she shouted the old man had ran over. He had dark skin and his hair had a few greys but Hope could tell he wasn't too much older than the students.

"Hope Estheim?" He asked.

"Yes. I still don't underst-" Hope started but was cut off.

"Nice to meet you." The old man greeted. "I'm Sazh and I'm your mentor."

So this was his mentor. He looked reliable and wise but had a look to his face which gave him away as a bit of a joker.

"Nice to meet you Sazh." Hope said shaking Sazh's hand.

"I've got to go now." The dark haired girl interjected. Sazh merely looked at her and nodded in affirmation of this fact. "I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of you." She said to Hope. "Here have this free ticket and come see my band."

Hope accepted the ticket even though he was still a bit confused, he looked up and she was already gone. _'Well that was weird.'_

"Goddamn that girl is fast." Sazh commented. "Now where was I. Oh, I remember, we need to find your dorm. All the other students who I mentor have already found theirs." He explained as he started walking briskly away from Hope.

Hope quickly ran to keep up with him and was silent for a while. But in the end he decided he had to do something to break the silence. _'Besides I want to find out who that girl was.' _"Umm..."

"You have something on your mind Hope?" Sazh asked.

"Yeah, I was just wondering who that girl was."

"Oh, her. She didn't even tell you her name, how rude. I swear she's got no manners." The old man had started ranting. "Ahh, sorry about that. I just tend to treat all of my students like they are family so I can't help if I get mad when one of them is so impolite." He explained. "Anyway, her name is Fang. Why'd you want to know? You got a crush on her?" Sazh teased.

"Well she is pretty." Hope commented. Slightly embarrased with himself.

Sazh smiled. "Well look at you being all bold Estheim. I might have to tell her."

"Please don't. I'd probably die of embarasment." The young man stated.

The two of them started laughing at Hopes embarassment. Even he had to admit it was a bit juvenile.

* * *

"I was only joking." Sazh explained, still chuckling slightly. "And here is your dorm. Make sure to make a good impression on your roommates" Sazh said as he left. "I'll see you around kid."

"Yeah..." Hope said smiling as he opened the door to the apartment. The door opened with a slight creak but there was already rumbling on the stairs as Hope stepped across the threshold.

"Hey! New roommate!" The first voice yelled. "Yeah, tell him to go get some beer will you. We're all out." The other one grumbled. A young man who looked almost the same age as Hope came tumbling down the stairs after the short conversation folowed by a much calmer peer.

"Hey, man. The name's Maqui, nice to meet you." The blond haired guy said. "And this slowpoke is Yuj." Maqui said pointing at the blue haired young man who wore very eccentric clothes.

"Is he alright?" Hope asked Maqui.

"Yeah he just drank too much last night, he'll be fine in a few minutes." Maqui explained.

The sound of heavy vomiting then occured from the bathroom. "I hate you Maqui." Yuj's muffled voice exclaimed.

"Don't worry you'll get used to him." Maqui said.

Hope nodded. _'I think it will be harder to get used to you.'_ Hope commented mentally on the blond's extremely bright disposition.

"For now let's get you sorted out." Maqui said and started walking up the stairs. "Downstairs is where the kitchen and games room is and upstairs is where our rooms are." Maqui explained. "We have one room free because our old roommate Snow was kicked out for not passing any tests. Snow is a fun guy, it's a shame he had to leave and get a job but we still see him around."

Hope just nodded again.

"The room is a bit of a mess but I'm sure you'll be able to sort it out how you want it in no time. Maqui said cheerfully "Well, I hope we can be friends." He said hapily as he walked out the door and downstairs to help Yuj.

Hope looked around the room. It wasn't that much of a mess the bedsheets were on the floor, a shelf had fell down and there was a random doorknob that didn't seem to fit anywhere sitting on the desk but other than that the room was tidy and clean. _'Well. I better get started.'_ Hope thought as he stated unpacking his bag.

* * *

**Authors Note: There we go another chapter for the people who asked me to continue. I certainly agree that it is a cool idea it's just a shame that I don't have much time to write. As always if you have any questions about the story or just want to congratulate me on the new chapter leave a review, it really does keep me writing.**


	3. Chapter 2: Fang's Concert

Chapter 2: Fang's Concert

Week 4

It had been a while since Hope had seen the mysterious girl he knew only as Fang. He had seen glimpses of her and bumped into her breifly over his first month of university but she was so impatient it was hard to get her to focus for more than 5 minutes. 'Now I know why Sazh said she's such a pain.' Hope thought jokingly, 'She must be alot of trouble for the music proffessors.' he considered. It was now nearing the end of September but Hope had been too preoccupied studying in the library to chase after Fang. 'Fortunately I can still go see her concert this weekend.' Hope thought optimisticaly as he headed back to his dorm.

* * *

"Back so soon?" Maqui teased as Hope shut the door and locked it.

"Only because theres nothing left to do." Hope quickly rebuttled. Hope gazed at the room momentarily and saw Yuj pop up from where the sofa he frequently napped on.

"Don't you mean, there were no cute girls to look at so you left." Yuj replied, now frighteningly alert.

'I swear that guy can go from sleeping to awake faster than anyone.' Hope commented. "No of course not." Hope tried to stand up for himself but it fell on deaf ears. Both of his roommates looked at him sceptically then started smrking in unison.

Maqui spoke first, "Weren't you only telling us two weeks ago about some girl who you met in there. Who you didn't talk to at first because she looked so focused on her book."

Yuj started laughing at this point, "And then you made a fumbling attempt to chat her up which she turned down immediately." Yuj remarked through stifled laughter.

"Yeah well she was cute." Hope said in a defeated tone.

"Well we don't have proof of that until you tell us her name." Yuj mentioned slyly.

Hope screamed internaly at that. "The only problem is..." he started, "That I don't know her name." Hope closed his eyes in realisation of his stupidity. Only to hear Maqui and Yuj having a laughing fit.

After the laughing died down Maqui started up the conversation again. "Well, at least you have Fang." he joked.

Hope couldn't help but turn a little bit red at that. "Be quiet Maqui, someone might hear." Hope requested.

"Okay, I'll leave you be for now." Maqui said with a friendly smile. "Anyway when's Fang's concert?" He asked casually.

"I thought you said you were going to stop." Hope answered with a hint of annoyance.

Maqui ignored the acusation. "No, I'm seriously interested. Snow said he wanted to go, so Yuj and I thought we might tag along too." He explained calmly.

"It's at the weekend. If he's really dying to go." Hope said. 'I've heard of what Snow is like and I don't want any competition.' Hope schemed. "Why does he want to go anyway?" He asked.

It seemed like Yuj could read Hope like a book. "You're only asking cause you're afraid he'll steal Fang." Yuj murmured from the sofa.

'Damn you, Yuj.' Hope conceeded.

"Oh, you don't need to worry." Maqui added vagely.

"Is he ga-" Hope began to ask.

"No." Maqui cut him off. "Snow has a girlfriend, so you don't have to worry. Besides he only wants to go for the music." Maqui finally explained.

Hope thought about it for a moment and left a pause before speaking again. "So what music does the band play?" He asked his freinds.

"I think it will be more fun if it's a suprise." Maqui said while beaming exstatically.

* * *

As the day of the concert neared Hope could hardly keep himself from being excited. 'It's been the first time sice I've went out with friends since high school.' He thought happily as he walked to the venue.

Maqui, Snow and Yuj had left earlier because they would have to wait to get in. Hope could get in straight away as he already had a ticket from Fang. At the door a tall and imposing bouncer checked his ticket and let him through. The bouncer did give him an odd look as he went in though, as if it was odd that he would be going to this gig. Hope ignored it and carried on to the venue. As he entered the room he noticed that the scale of it was bigger than he expected, it was obviously a real music venue. He looked toward the stage and locked eyes with Fang who had seemed to have been watching him as he entered.

She blushed slightly when he noticed her but quickly jumped down from the stage to greet him. "Hey, Hope." She said loudly with a smile. "I'm glad you decided to come." She murmured. She gave him a breif hug which was suprising considering that they didn't know each other that well.

'I can't complain though.' Hope thought as he accepted the hug. "I wouldn't want to miss it." He said vaguely. "Besides it seems really interesting." He added before she got the wrong idea. Unfortunately it seemed like she already did by the way she was beaming at him.

"Aww, I knew ya were a cute one." Fang mentioned happily.

"Hey, Fang!" One of the band members shouted from the stage. "We've gotta do a sound check, so hurry up will ya?"

Fang looked a little disapointed by her band mate's statement but then turned to Hope again. "You better wait for me after the concert." she said as she ran back towards the stage.

"Seems like I don't have a choice." Hope joked as he watched her.

"Hope!" A voice shouted from behind him. It looked like the rest of the audience was finally being let in. Hope turned to see Maqui, Yuj, Snow and two pink haired girls walking towards him. Hope could have sworn he'd seen one of the sisters before.

'I suppose the one clinging to Snow is his girlfriend." Hope deduced. Hope smiled polietely then realised where he had seen the pink haired girl before. 'She was the cute girl from the library!' He realised. Hope couldn't believe his luck sometimes.

* * *

Before he knew it the concert was over and Hope was waiting casualy outside the venue. He had actually enjoyed the music, it was a lot heavier than anything he'd usually listen to but perhaps that was a good thing. 'At least I have something to talk to Fang about now.' He realised. Snow was really happy with the experience and was happy that Hope enjoyed it too. 'Maybe I was wrong about him.' Hope thought. 'The guy's optimism is contagious.' Hope decided to talk to his new friends while he waited for Fang to turn up.

"So, Snow..." Hope started.

"What's up buddy?" The tall blond asked jovially.

"I was just wondering who those girls are who you're with." Hope asked casually.

Snow smirked in a way that reminded Hope of Yuj and Maqui. "Well the shorter one is my girlfreind Serah and the taller one is her sister-"

"Lightning!" A voice called from behind the group. It was Fang and she was running happily towards Serah's sister. Fang hugged her before she had a chance to protest.

"Yeah... It's nice to see you too." The girl that Hope now assumed was called Lightning replied.

'Well, now I know her name.' Hope gathered.

* * *

As everyone got caught up with each other. Hope decided to get ready to leave. Fang seemed to notice and grabbed him. "Well, we have to go now." Fang mentioned with a mischevious smile on her face and then pulled Hope away from the group and towards the University.

Hope looked at her as they walked and noticed she was chuckling to herself. "Did you see the look on their faces. They were so supprised."

"Yeah." Hope murmured embarasedly as he was dragged along by this beautiful woman.

Before Hope knew it he was back at his dorm. "Wait a minute, isn't the man meant to escort the girl back to her dorm, not the other way round." he joked.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Fang said embarassedly. Fang started walking down the stairs slowly looking sadder the further she got from Hope. "Well I hope we can go on another date sometime." She mumbled queitly.

Hope looked at her as he had missed what she had just said. "Hmm?" He grumbled. "It doesn't seem right to end it this way." He concluded. Hope ran down the stairs and hugged the dark haired beauty tightly. "That's much better." he whispered and blushed slightly. Little did he know that Fang had turned a deep shade of red.

"Well, I'll see you around." She said quickly and walked away.

'Did I do something wrong?' Hope thought confusedly.

* * *

**Authors Note**

**Here's another chapter for you guys, sorry to keep you waiting for so long. I have been very busy recently. As always leave me a review if you liked it and I'll try to get some more chapters done soon.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Date

Chapter 3: The Date

Week 5

_'Ugh, I'm so nervous. I know it's supposed to be a date but it feels so awkward.' _Hope thought.

The young man sat in a cafe, peeking over a book on thermodynamics, scoping out the area for signs of his date. His coffee had long gone cold and the waitresses were certainly uneasy because of Hope acting so suspiciously. The bell at the door rang to signal new customers and the sound drew Hopes attention. He turned towards the door in anticipation only to be surprised by Serah and a girl who seemed similar in age to her but she had ginger hair and green eyes.

_'I know that girl from somewhere.'_ Hope realised as he tried to remember who she was._ 'Oh, she's from the art club I joined, what's her name again? Vanille? Ah never mind.' _Hope watched as the two girls sat down completely oblivious to the waitresses accusing stares. _'Fang said this date is for just us. I'll have to get out of here without them seeing me.'_ Hope thought as he asked for the bill. _'Well so much for having a nice date at the cafe!' _Hope rose from his seat careful to make as little noise as possible; he wrapped his turquoise scarf around his mouth in an effort to conceal his identity. _'No use.'_ He thought _'They'll see my hair and immediately recognise me. Unless...'_

* * *

Serah and Vanille gossiped quietly at their table near the door. Hope didn't mind the girls but he had to avoid them for now, therefore he came up with a cunning plan. _'Almost home free now.'_ Hope thought gleefully as he reached for the door handle but he was abruptly stopped.

"Hope?" Serah's voice asked questioningly. Hope lowered the book from his face slightly to see if he had been discovered only to see both girls smiling at him. "Did you really think we wouldn't recognise you? I mean using a book to hide your face is inventive, but you actually drew more attention to yourself." The pink haired girl smiled before cracking up.

Hope gave up and joined the girls at their table. They both seemed to be having some very floral smelling tea. "What's this book about anyway?" Vanille asked. "It's physics isn't it?"

"Well, yeah-" Hope replied, "It's not rocket science." He joked. _'It sort of is though.'_ He added. Serah almost choked on her tea from the joke and Vanille smiled at her friend albeit with a slight look of confusion.

After Serah recovered from her laughter she leaned closer to Hope and pulled Vanille in closer too. "So Hope what's the deal?" Serah asked, all of a sudden she seemed like a mafia boss or something.

"Are you here to meet Fang?" Vanille questioned with an intense but still cute look on her face. Hope could feel his heart beat rising now that he was found out. "Hmm..." Vanille murmured as she investigated Hopes slowly reddening face. "I think we hit the nail on the head Serah!"

"Well then case closed!" Serah said happily and relaxed back into her seat.

_'Case closed.'_ Hope thought that was an odd choice of words. _'Weren't they treating me like a criminal just now?!'_

"You do know I have no ill intentions right?" Hope said anxiously. _'In fact I'm more anxious about what Fang would do if we were alone.'_

"Of course Hopie." Vanille said with a smile.

"Please don't call me that." Hope said embarrassedly.

Suddenly Hope noticed his phone vibrating in his coat pocket. He quickly took it out and looked at it. _'Seven missed texts?!' _Hope quickly went through the messages six were from Fang and one was from his mother. "Sorry Hope, I'm sick. Can we rearrange the date?" he mouthed as the two girls looked over his shoulder. "Well that's that then." Hope said glumly. "I suppose I'll just go home."

"No!" Vanille shouted. Startling almost everyone in the small cafe. "You can't give up now." She said as she lowered her voice.

"She's right you know." Serah started. "You should go to her. It's the perfect chance for romance."

"Damn. I guess I have no choice." Hope said jokingly.

"What are you waiting for? You have a beautiful girl who needs you." Serah enthused.

"Ahh, but it'll be awkward though and I wouldn't want to intrude." Hope muttered.

"You won't be." A happy Vanille responded. "Here take my key."

"Really?" Hope answered anxiously.

Vanille thought about it for a second and then said "Don't worry about it."

"Geez just do it already." Serah moaned with a slight twinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Okay." Hope said as he flung open the door in an overly dramatic way. "Wish me luck."

* * *

Hope arrived at the house where Vanille and Fang lived and instead of unlocking the door and bursting in dramatically he decided to knock.

*Knock* *Knock*

No answer came from within the house. _'Why didn't she answer?'_ Hope thought worriedly as he started to unlock the door.

"Uhh, I'm coming in, sorry for intruding I guess." He mumbled awkwardly as he crossed the threshold. He walked slightly further in, skilfully avoiding the shoes cluttering the hallway. He then looked up to see Fang wrapped in a towel that was barely concealing her body. It looked like she had just got out of the shower. Hope saw Fangs eyes focus on him and then her face turn completely red. He had no doubt that his face was turning a similar shade and he quickly averted his gaze.

"I-I'll just wait in the living room." Hope said, his voice raising in pitch slightly.

* * *

Hope turned on the TV after sitting in silence in the living room for a good five minutes. _'I'm happy and embarrassed.' _he thought as he flicked through the channels. _'I just hope she won't hate me now.'_

Before he had any more time to think Fang shuffled through the door in just a black jumper. She tried to look unflustered but it was obvious to Hope as she was acting a lot more sheepish than she usually would. _'Come to think of it, doesn't she only act this way around me? She acts so jovially with everyone else.'_

"You sure got an eyeful." Fang muttered awkwardly. Her cheeks were slightly pink but Hope couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or if she was still recovering from her cold.

Hope nodded embarrassedly.

"Well, I suppose I can't let you leave here alive then." Fang said as an evil grin spread across her face.

_'I'm going to die.'_ Hope thought as he cowered and closed his eyes. He felt Fang grab him and it wasn't long before he was on his back lying down on the sofa. Strangely a second assault never came. Hope felt a small weight on his stomach and then something squishy touching his chest. He opened his eyes sheepishly to see Fang looming over him going in for a kiss. _'Well, this could have gone worse.'_

* * *

**Authors Note**

**Hey guys, I'm back and I've actually posted something *wew* but anyway, I probably won't be back permanently but I'm still going to try and complete as many of my stories as I can. So keep a look out for that. I'm going to move on to the other girls chapters before concluding this story though, that includes Lightning and Vanille. But if you want any other characters from Final Fantasy 13 to be added into it just ask and I might make a bonus chapter for them. As always leave a review if you liked it and offer me some suggestions on how to improve because I know my writing isn't perfect.**


	5. Chapter 4: Clubs

Chapter 4: Clubs

Week 1

_'The train journey seems a lot longer when I'm anxious.' _Hope thought as he walked to the university. You could tell it was a university by the mixture of old and new buildings that were all gathered together like a piece of modern art. The architecture certainly was impressive but nothing like Eden. Hope had only been once but he remembered the futuristic looking buildings well. The smell of the ocean air soon reached his nostrils accompanied by the usual sqwarks of seagulls, even though he was far from the beach.

Hope had now reached the main gate and it was great to see the flourishing comunity on the other side. As soon as he entered he was assaulted by new sounds and smells and even some colours that he had never seen before. _'Everything seems so vibrant.'_ He noticed. There were music students playing many different styles of music in ways Hope could never comprehend, Artists who could whip up an accurate sketch in seconds and loud but helpful guides who were trying to help the new students. Through this cacophony Hope was hardly able to pay attention to where he was going.

* * *

Hope found his dorm without much trouble thanks to help from Prof. Katzroy. It certainly sounded like a lively place.

The door opened with a slight creak but there was already rumbling on the stairs as Hope stepped across the threshold.

"Hey! New roommate!" The first voice yelled. "Yeah, tell him to go get some beer will you. We're all out." The other one grumbled. A young man who looked almost the same age as Hope came tumbling down the stairs after the short conversation folowed by a much calmer peer.

"Hey, man. The name's Maqui, nice to meet you." The blond haired guy said. "And this slowpoke is Yuj." Maqui said pointing at the blue haired young man who wore very eccentric clothes.

"Is he alright?" Hope asked Maqui.

"Yeah he just drank too much last night, he'll be fine in a few minutes." Maqui explained.

The sound of heavy vomiting then occured from the bathroom. "I hate you Maqui." Yuj's muffled voice exclaimed.

"Don't worry you'll get used to him." Maqui said.

Hope nodded. _'I think it will be harder to get used to you.'_ Hope commented mentally on the blond's extremely bright disposition.

"For now let's get you sorted out." Maqui said and started walking up the stairs. "Downstairs is where the kitchen and games room is and upstairs is where our rooms are." Maqui explained. "We have one room free because our old roommate Snow was kicked out for not passing any tests. Snow is a fun guy, it's a shame he had to leave and get a job but we still see him around."

Hope just nodded again.

"The room is a bit of a mess but I'm sure you'll be able to sort it out how you want it in no time. Maqui said cheerfully "Well, I hope we can be friends." He said hapily as he walked out the door and downstairs to help Yuj.

Hope looked around the room. It wasn't that much of a mess the bedsheets were on the floor, a shelf had fell down and there was a random doorknob that didn't seem to fit anywhere sitting on the desk but other than that the room was tidy and clean. _'Well. I better get started.'_ Hope thought as he stated unpacking his bag.

* * *

Unpacking hadn't taken as long as he previously thought it would so Hope decided to go and buy some beer like Yuj asked earlier.

"Hey guy's I'm heading out on a beer run. You need anything else?" Hope shouted through to the kitchen before he left. It took a few moments for a response but Maqui soon reapeared with a list.

"Here's all the things we're running low on." He said as he pushed the list into Hopes hands. "Good luck!" he said with a smile.

_'These guys don't seem that bad actually.'_ Hope realised as he walked back towards the main area of the campus.

* * *

Even though it was much later in the day the campus courtyard was still thriving as clubs tried earnestly to recruit new members. In all honesty Hope was just looking for directions to the nearest convenience store but everyone seemed so busy. He was getting a bit confused by the amount of people and ended up in the midst of a huge crowd. Hope knew he needed to get out of there because he was getting claustrophobic.

"Phew..." He gasped as he exited the crowd and sat down. _'Who knew it would be so much work to get some beer?'_ He complained.

"Are you okay?" A girl about his age with ginger hair and a strange accent asked him.

_'I'm more than okay.'_ Hope thought as he stared at the girl dumbstruck by her beauty and her choice of revealing clothing. _'She certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination'_ He noted.

"Where are you looking silly? My eyes are up here!" The girl said with a giggle.

"Uhh..." Hope managed to make a sound. _'Come on Hope! This isn't making a good impression at all!'_ He berated himself.

The girl simply smiled as if she didn't really understand what was going on. _'Maybe she's being polite and waiting for me to make the first move?'_ Hope thought.

"Sorry." Hope said calmly as he regained compusure. "I'm fine. I just don't like crowds much."

"Oh... That makes sense." The girl mused.

"The name's Hope by the way." Hope said as he got up and brushed himself off.

The girl smiled. "My name's Vanille, Mr. Bytheway." She joked.

Hope laughed. "No... It's actually Hope Estheim."

"So Hope. What you doing?" Vanille asked curiously as she seemed to size up Hope.

"Nothing much, just going on a beer run for my dormmates." He explained.

"Oooh fun. Can I come?" She asked excitedly.

_'I wonder if the guys would be okay with this? Oh whatever.' _Hope asked himself."Y-yeah sure." He said with a stutter. _'She certainly is cute. I don't think they'll mind.'_ He agreed. "Oh, there is a slight problem though..."

"Oh no! What is it?" She asked as she got slightly closer to him.

Hope blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "I don't know where the store is..." He conceeded.

Vanille grinned and then laughed. "No worries. I know one that is close by."

"I'll tell you where it is on one condition..." Vanille said. As a smirk apeared on her lips.

"What's the catch?" Hope asked sceptically.

"You have to join the art club with me!" She proclaimed without hesitation.

_'Well I was expecting something worse. This isn't bad at all!'_ Hope assessed.

Hope rushed to fill out the registration form. By the time he had finished, the crowd had subsided so it was easy to hand their forms in.

"Okay! I look forward to spending time with you Hopie!" Vanille shouted as she started to walk away.

_'For some reason that nickname gets on my nerves.'_ Hope thought. _'Hey, wait a minute she didn't tell me where the store is!'_ He realised. "Vanille! Where do you think you're going?" He shouted after her.

"To the store duh!" She replied.

_'Oh.'_ Hope thought. _'I'm sorry I doubted you Vannile.'_

Suddenly she ran back over to Hope and leaned on him slightly. "Or do you want to go together, holding hands?" Vanille murmured in the most seductive voice she could muster up.

Hope couldn't help himself from blushing but he grabbed onto her hand since she suggested it.

"Oh. I wasn't expecting you to actually do it." Vanille whispered as her face started turning red.

"Why'd you suggest it then?" Hope asked jokingly.

"No reason..." She replied as she smiled and dragged him to the convenience store.

* * *

"And thats's the story of how I joined the art club." Hope explained to his bemused freinds while popping open another beer.

"Bullshit. There's no way that happened." Maqui exclaimed.

"Yeah." Yuj agreed. "I'm all for cute girls and everything but you don't have to make things up to impress us dude."

"I'm not lying!" Hope enthused.


	6. Chapter 5: Anything Can Be Art

Chapter 5: Anything Can Be Art  


Week 3

"This isn't what I expected when you asked me to join the art club." Hope mumbled disapointedly.

Vanille was already in her element setting up an easle and started sketching Hope's silhouette. "What? I think this is perfect."

"Well, there are supplies, I'll give you that. But don't you think its odd that there are only three members?" Hope pointed out. "Not to mention you didn't even introduce your friend."

Vanille lookee confused for a second as if she had forgotten, "Oh... This is Serah, she's one of my partners in crime." She explained in a jokey tone as she pointed to her accomplice.

_'Serah reminds me of someone, I can't quite figure out who.'_ Hope realized. He then turned his attention to Vanille who was already painting quickly and messily. "That wasn't so hard was it." Hope mocked.

"Aww... you're so harsh Hopie." She teased in reply as she looked away breifly from her easle to get a better look at Hope.

Serah was giggling behind her own easle while she listened in on Vanille and Hope's banter. "You two make such a great couple." She commented without forethought.

"Really!?" Vanille responded.

'I can see where this is going.' Hope thought. "We're not together though, before you go jumping to conclusions." Vanille stopped painting briefly and added some darker colours to her usually sunny pallet. "Just so you know." Hope added as an afterthought. Serah smiled sadly at the two of them. _'Why does she look so dissapointed.'_ Hope wondered.

"It's a shame though. You'd look real cute together in my opinion." Serah mentioned rather casually.

_'I'm not particularly opposed to it I suppose, and she is pretty.'_ Hope rationalised as he touched the wrong end of the paint brush to his mouth in thought. "Eurgh!" he exclaimed as he realised his blunder. The girls giggled at his mistake and Vanille was quick to grab a rag to wipe it off with. "You don't need to make such a fuss." Hope explained in an attempt to regain some composure.

"Don't worry about it, it's the least I can do." Vanille maintained.

Hope just looked into her eyes now that she was close. Vanille glanced up briefly and started to blush. "I-I think I got it all." She whispered.

Vanille walked back to her easle with some urgency. _'That was nice, plus she's even prettier up close.'_ Hope thought.

"So, shall we take a look at what we've accomplished?" Serah asked in order to permeate the silent atmosphere that had enveloped the room.

"Sounds good to me." Hope replied as he turned his easle towards the others.

The trio stood in the middle of the room, silent as they scrutinized each others work. Vanille's painting depicted a detailed painting of Hope's profile one side of the picture was painted with vibrant sunny colours and the other utilized gloomier tones. On the other hand Serah's painting was simply a picture of a tall man in a white trenchcoat. And Hope's picture resembled a a ball of red string.

"Yours is very abstract Hope. What is meant to be?" Serah asked tactlessly.

Hope scowled slightly as he explained. "It's actually meant to be a rose." He stated simply and then laughed. "Maybe I'm not cut out for art."

"Well at least you have a chance to improve now." Vanille chipped in, hoping to save Hope from his embarrasment.

_'That's rich coming from you.'_ Hope thought sarcastically, turning his gaze towards Vanilles portrait of him. "I could probably learn a lot from you though, your piece is much better than mine." He commented without thinking about Vanilles reaction.

"T-Thanks..." She stuttered in an unusually shy way.

"You only like it because it is a painting of you." Serah joked. "You're such a narrcissist Hope."

"I am not." Hope argued, but realised it was futile as the girls were already giggling at his discomfort.

* * *

On the way back to their different halls of residence Serah split off from Vanille and Hope. 'I'm not sure how I feel about this situation.' Hope thought as he grew flustered now he was alone with Vanille. The petite girl was also unusually quiet too. Neither of them spoke until they had reached Vanille's dorm.

"I guess I'll see you around later." Hope murmured half-heartedly. _'That's not how I want this day to end.'_ Hope thought and pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. _'Vanille deserves more than a somber goodbye.'_ He concluded.

"Hope, you look like you are in pain. Are you okay?" Vanille questioned with unwavering innocence. She looked down at her feet and seemed as if she was about to cry. "Y-you're tired aren't you? I bet you wished you never even joined the art club." As she finished speaking a tear rolled down her cheek, followed by a downpour of emotion.

Hope was frozen by her sudden change. 'What do I do? What can I do?' He asked himself. Suddenly he wrapped Vanille in a tight embrace. She pushed against him but she could not break free of his grasp. "I'm sorry for making you think that." Hope half whispered to the trembling girl. "I actually enjoyed myself a lot. So much that I didn't want to go back to my dorm. In fact I think I don't want today to end." He tried to joke but even his emotions were stretched to the limit.

"Do you mean that?" Vanille whispered almost inaudibly, her crying had now stopped.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't." Hope replied with sincerety.

Vanille looked up at Hope, her eyes slightly red from crying. "I'm sorry for being so emotional." She stated sadly.

"Theres nothing to apologise for, its much better to say what is in your heart than to bottle it up until you feel like your heart will burst." Hope explained, adding a chuckle to try and lighten the mood.

"I see..." Vanille muttered, returning to her happy but naive outlook. "Then there is something I must do." She almost shouted, her determination was clear to Hope.

"What is it?" A genuinely curious Hope asked.

Without warning Vanille shifted her weight towards Hope and kissed him on the cheek. "That." Vanille said with a mischevious smirk as her cheeks reddened. She then closed the door to her dorm and left Hope standing in the street completely dumbstruck.


End file.
